The Art of War
by Cate Eliot
Summary: After the war, kung fu died. Crane had sacrificed himself for Viper, Po refused to speak, Tigress had been tortured and killed, and Mantis had betrayed them all. With no hope left, a surprise encounter in the forest sets forth the revival sweeping across China, providing the chance to fight back. AU.
1. Prelude: Heroes

**A/N: All characters, cases, and locations belong to Dreamworks and affiliates. This was inspired by "The Nobody" by "who smiles". I really wanted to explore the more complex and mature sides of these characters. This is definitely an AU story, but intricate and interesting for those who are interested. I really appreciate all the feedback I can get. If I get good feedback, I'll continue to update. Be sure to check out "Of Warriors and Heroes" if you like this. Please review.**

The Preface: Heroes

Kung Fu had died.

In the final days of the ancient art, the greatest of the great fought against impossible odds. Legend has it that they were overpowered, weakened, and outnumbered. Master Shifu and his prized students had led the revolt. Some of the other masters stood beside them. Master Flying Rhino, Soaring Ox, Master Alham and Master Mei Ling … but none of them had a chance.

Most of them perished during the battle. Both Mei Ling and Rhino from arrow shots straight in the back during the first moments and Ox took his last break after a slice of a poisoned sword.

The others managed to break the fortress. They would have succeeded … if it hadn't been for the betrayal of Master Mantis. It lead to the death of the remaining soldiers.

The six warriors left were brought to the tyrant's great hall where they stood, bound facing their defeater. They say that Master Tigress, the bravest of the warriors, somehow got out of the lock and made the final move.

Their opponent, the dictator, the demon, lost his arm. Chaos ensued. Master Crane sacrificed himself for his own love, Master Viper. Some people say Master Tigress was killed in the struggle and people could hear her Master's agonized scream from miles away. Others say she was captured and tortured to death below the dungeon and then burned away.

Though, there are rebels and racketeers that she managed to escape and is hiding out, training her own group of soldiers to retake China and her family.

But it's all just rumors.

Master Shifu, Monkey, Viper were all kept in the palace under Shao Quang's watch. They "useful" to him. The Dragon Warrior took a vow of silence after the death of his martyr and hero Master Tigress and sits motionless in the dungeons; a supposed memorial of her memory.

Quang thought he had taken over China for good. But the real war hadn't even started.


	2. Chapter 1: Forest

**A/N: All characters and locations belong to Dreamworks and affiliates. I will continue to post more chapters if I get some good feedback. If there's a good reception, this story will be a multi-chapter. I really appreciate all the feedback I can get. Whether you love it or hate it, please review.**

_Chapter One: Phantom _

"This is ridiculous," Viper hissed, annoyed. She stared out of the window of the carriage as it rode on a bumpy road. Mossy trees were a blur in the autumn sunshine. "They're trained soldiers, what the hell do they need us for."

Her hands ran through her bob cut of hair. She had chopped it all off after the battle. Her time in the dungeon had ruined it anyway, she said. Her tanned skin was the same as it had been a year ago, though she now looked much older than her years.

Her Master hummed in reply.

Shifu felt older than he ever had in years. Playing the new emperor's lapdog had done little for the Master's Inner Peace. Ever since he had lost sight of Tigress in that final battle, everything on his inside crashed. Crane was dead, Mantis had betrayed them, Alham and the others had died in the battle, Po was decaying beneath the earth.

And Tigress…

He squeezed his eyes shut painfully. Viper noticed and moved herself from the window and put a hand reassuringly on his own.

"She's with Oogway, now…"

Those words had comforted him the first few times, but now they seemed to grant no solace to the old master. The carriage bumped to an abrupt halt. Viper turned towards door.

"What's going on?"

"State your business."

There was no reply.

The guard's voice boomed out. "Woman, state your business or get out of the way. We will not ask again."

"Where are you off to officers?"

Viper snorted and thumped back on the cushions of the cart. "Probably some slut looking to get lucky." Her cotton red robe seemed to be excoriatingly thick in this miserable heat.

Master Shifu no longer wore his Master's green cloak. A deep maroon one replaced it. His wrinkled skin looked paler and he easily was sweating in the heat.

They all didn't talk much anymore. Monkey was seen on occasion. He and Viper were together much more of the time. When they were needed, both were summoned. Monkey was training the guards and always busy.

The Emperor's nephew liked Viper well enough. After the first few months, she was taken out of the dungeon and put under castle arrest. It had been two years since the final battle. She spoke to Po once a week, like clockwork. He never spoke back.

The news of Tigress' death had been the final straw. All hope from him was lost. He simply shut down.

Viper fanned herself and waited for them to do something with the woman. Instead of more conversation, she was greeted to a scream.

It was not female.

"Inhabitants in the carriage, step out slowly. One at a time with your hands up."

This time it was a different voice that spoke.

Viper turned to look at Shifu. The old man looked amused and stood. Offering a hand to her, she carefully stepped down onto the forest floor. She wasn't greeted with what she expected.

"We surrender. Please, take us away." Shifu seemed sarcastically amused.

They were surrounded by a set of hooded warriors. Sword, arrow, shields, and daggers were all clearly visible. There was a shiver among the group. A thick and muscular man stepped forward.

"Grandmaster Shifu? Master Viper?"

He recoiled at the man. The hooded man and the others all turned in the same direction. There was movement among the circle. Some of the members moved away. Whatever the two were expecting, it wasn't what emerged.

A smaller woman materialized from the lines of warriors. Her face was hooded and her entire body cloaked in a pale blue laced kimono. Long sleeves flowed in the wind, making her look like a phantom in the wind.

There was some strange, alien like about her. How she held herself up and seemed to move with the earth around her. She did not speak, but gracefully flowed until she was close enough to clearly see Viper and Shifu.

Shifu moved to look under the hood, but she quickly stepped backwards. The warriors around her began to beat on their shield in a mantra of a musical manner.

Thinking this was moving towards a duel, Shifu moved into a battle stance. That wasn't the case at all. The strange woman didn't make an attack at all. The contrary actually, she straightened her back and thrust her fist into her right palm. And then she bowed.

The Kung Fu bow was outlawed with the final battle, punishable by death. The sight took away the Grandmaster's breath. He then too, bowed back. Behind him, Viper followed suit. When he looked back up, the entire party was gone.

Someone, whoever she was, they were, was making a statement to him. That whatever they Emperor did, no matter who he killed, this was not over. This was not the end of the story and some of them were going to fight back.


	3. Chapter 2: Family

**A/N: All characters and locations belong to Dreamworks and affiliates. I will continue to post more chapters if I get some good feedback. Over 100 views and only one review. Feed the starving writer's creativity with reviews. I really appreciate all the feedback I can get. Whether you love it or hate it, please review.**

_Chapter Two: My Family _

"Viper, might I have the pleasure of your company?" Viper paused on the staircase and spun around to see Longwei standing behind her.

"I … can't … I apologize, Shifu needs me to—"

She was cut off as Longwei, tall and handsome, sprinted up the following steps and took her arm. His dark hair was pushed back away from his face and he stood almost a foot over her.

"Viper, you've avoided all my attempts to get you to have lunch with me this week, like we always do. What have I done to upset you?"

He sounded sincere, but she didn't know. Honestly to herself, something felt wrong. The display in the woods had her feeling awoken inside … like something was about to happen.

"Nothing—I just promised Shifu that I'd—"

"Please, Shifu can wait," he persisted. Soldiers pasted them on the stairs and Viper hesitated again. The morning air was warm and sweet like a breath of summer.

"All right … uh … just let me get cleaned up," she said smoothly and took her arm out of Longwei's calloused hand. She turned away and could still see the beaming smile that had lit up his dark face.

They had lunch in a private room, sitting on beautiful decorated Indian pillows and the room filled with lavender incest. "So tell me about your life before the war," Longwei probed. His thick eyebrows contracted as if he really was interested in her life.

"Why so you can have me beheaded for mentioning Tigress' name?" she snapped back and then looked horrified with herself. Her tanned face tightened with terror. "I'm sorry, please excuse my outburst, I-I forgot my place."

Damn, now she really did sound like Tigress.

Three years ago, Viper wouldn't have thought twice about throwing down a response like that, but now everything was different. So very different.

"No. No. Please, forgive me. I just really do want to know about you and your teammates. Please, Viper, after all this time I hope you would know me well enough to know I don't like all of my father's decisions. I want to hear your story," he rumbled and put a hand over hers.

Viper hesitated. Was she really willing to tell him something him something so close to her heart?

"I … I wouldn't know where to begin," she stuttered and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. She had changed into her pink robes with long sleeves and lace. It was a gift from Monkey a year ago for the anniversary of Crane's birthday. Pink and warm like her heart, he murmured and then disappeared back into the training of the ranks.

Longwei had a long black robe on with silver embroidery that only made him seem even more like a shadow. His long hair and lanky hair was long enough to almost brush his shoulder. His nose was long, but his cheekbones high. He was almost the exact opposite of Crane in every way.

"When did you first become Shifu's student and Viper, please, speak freely. We're alone after all." He gave her a smile and cautious smile.

"When I was 10 years old; my own father was a kung fu master and when he discovered that I had talent in the art, he wrote to Oogway and Shifu and that summer I moved into the Jade Palace."

"Your father didn't want to train you himself?" There was a tone of curiosity in his voice that Viper hadn't heard before.

"No, he was away at war for long periods of time and it's always hard to train your child. There are so many chances to really mess up; he didn't want to risk it. He and Shifu were old friends and Shifu was the only master to ever have trained girls.

"At the time, it was unheard of for women to learn kung fu, but Shifu already had adopted Tigress and the two of them had started making history together."

Longwei's eyes widen and Viper stopped her story abruptly. "Shifu was Tigress' father?"

"Yes, well sort of, he had adopted her when she was four, almost five, and ended up training her in kung fu. At the age of 13, she became the youngest master ever and the first woman to master Tiger Style Kung Fu, but at the time, Shifu was more of a master, than a father. I know he regrets that now, but…"

"Keep going," he encouraged her and took a sip of wine. She paused for a moment and then smiled.

"Mantis was already a student of Shifu's when I arrived, but he travelled back and forth to his family in Mongolia and the Jade Palace. Monkey and Crane came within the year of each other and with Crane as the final piece to the puzzle, we became the Furious Five. I was 15.

"Crane was a transfer from Lee Da and had almost mastered all of Crane Style. He was almost 18. He was the quiet one. Not mysterious like Tigress, but quiet and when he did raise his voice, everyone listened. When he first arrived, everyone thought Shifu was joking, this tall skinny legged boy was almost a master, but boy did he surprise all of us."

"Did … were you two …?"

"Crane and I?" Viper took a deep breath and told herself to be brave. "No. Maybe if we had had more time, but no. We weren't seeing each other."

_Lie_.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" He trailed off and took a grape off the platter. "So back to the story. What about your Master Monkey?"

"Monkey had also lived in Mongolia, like Mantis. Oogway found him playing tricks on the villagers and sort of took him under his wing. He was 16.

"Monkey and Mantis were a pair immediately. There was never a moment of rest when they were together." She smiled for a moment and then bitter memories overwhelmed her.

"Tell me about Shifu. Was he a hardass like everyone says?" Viper chuckled pathetically and swallowed the tears at the back of her throat.

"Yes, worse, probably. But there was a time after Po became the Dragon Warrior, that Shifu became less hard and began to open up again. After Po Ping fell into our lives, everything was literally complete and everything was happy. We were a family. For a short time, at least."

She took a deep breath and forced herself to take a sip of red wine. She readjusted her position on the pillow at looked at Longwei. He gave a crooked smile and she felt her stomach flutter.

"What about Tigress?"

Viper's lip shook, but she focused her mind and eyes on the sky out of the window. "Tigress was only this tiny little red headed thing when I first met her. I had never met anyone like Tigress and I haven't since. Tigress was everything I had ever wanted to be: confident, strong, powerful, beautiful, commanding, a prodigy. At the time I first met her, I didn't understand why Tigress got to have what I thought was everything. The first year I was so jealous of who she was and what she could do, but as our years together grew, I learned that Tigress didn't see herself the same way the world saw her…"

"What do you mean?"

Longwei had leaned forward on his mat and had his eyes intently on her face.

"Tigress had a lot of bad things happen to her in her life. Her father had stolen her mother—a princess in small kingdom mean the edge of China's borders—and taken her hostage back to his base. He was a general in the army with fiery red hair and an even more fiery temper. And when her mother accidently got pregnant, they … they ripped the baby out of her stomach and tried to drown it in a river, but somehow she floated down river and ended up in someone's camp. We don't know how she survived—she shouldn't have been able to survive outside of the womb—that's why Tigress was so small-but once she was old enough to live, the locals dropped her off at an orphanage. And the mothers there discovered that she had this uncanny strength and they were afraid of it … and her.

"So they locked her away in this cell of the room for years until they sent for Shifu to come and kill her I guess, but Shifu saw something in her … I guess … I've never exactly asked him before and eventually took her back to the Jade Palace with him.

"And she, Shifu, Oogway, and Tai Lung they were a little family. I've seen photographs back from before the … the war … and I haven't seen Tigress smile that she had smiled in those photographs. But when she turned nine, Tai Lung … he …"

"I know about Tai Lung," he said gently. "Then what happened to their family?"

"It shattered into pieces. Shifu became cold and distant and Mantis' family took him away for a while. Something changed. In both of them.

"We used to have a video camera at the Palace and the videos went back to before the Furious Five was even a thought. In the videos, she and Shifu seemed inseparable, but after Tai Lung left, they both seemed to shut down.

"Even since I've been there, it's been so formal between the two, I don't think I've ever heard Tigress address Shifu as anything but "Master" … I think there were too many pieces to glue back together."

She turned and met his eyes and found the black stones oddly comforting. "That's sad. Father's are important, whether blood related or not."

She found herself nodding silently. "And when Shifu finally realized what he had done, he tried to begin to mend all of back together with Po's help, but Tigress wanted no part of it.

"And I wouldn't blame her!" Her voice had become fierce, protective. "Shifu set the bar so high for her and when she met it he only raised it higher and higher. I think he broke her heart. But regardless of the two of them, all of us, we were a family. She was my sister."

Viper snapped her head around his meet his face head on. Her eyes burned with an expression of agony. "What happened to her?"

He jerked back in surprise and shock. "Viper…" his tone was patient, but her tears seemed to grow.

"No. Tell me what you did to her. I-I need to know!" She felt a stir of emotions and Longwei took her fists, trying in a vain attempt to calm her down.

"Did … did she suffer?"

"Viper, those details aren't for your ears to hear," he said softly and the answer was clear to her. With all the energy she had moments ago gone, she merely dropped onto the floor.

Longwei kneeled before her and brought her hand onto his chest, a comforting gesture she had not expected. "Is there any … any chance she escaped. Any at all?" Viper sobbed into his chest.

"No, I'm sorry, Viper. I truly am. But I saw the ashes myself."

And with that Viper let herself be held as she mourned once more.

"Enjoying lunch with your new little friend, Vi, love?" Viper could feel her blood boil at the sound of Mantis' voice. After she had dried her tears, she felt strangely calm. As she made her way to go and speak with Shifu, the back stabber had come to call.

Nobody saw Mantis for a long time after the war, but the feelings of betrayal and hurt hadn't faded. He had spoken to Viper before, some in the dungeon and outside when she and Shifu had finally been placed under house arrest.

Mantis caught her as she moved down the stair case and she ignored him as they passed each other. "Nice dress, Viper, I like the new color. Shifu still wearing black? Times have changed."

He grabbed her arm and flipped her around. "Get your filthy hands off me, traitor."

"Ouch, nice way to greet an old friend," he drawled. "And my hands are perfectly clean, little lovely."

"Your hands have blood on them that will never wash off," she hissed at him and wrenched her arm out of his grip. "I hope you burn in hell."

"Sticks and stones, Vi, or maybe that's really whips and shackles."

She couldn't ignore that. Flipping around she was a blur as she smacked the box Mantis was carrying out of his hands and pinned him up against the white stone pillar. With anger pumping in her veins instead of blood, she tightened her grip on his shoulder.

"How dare you speak of Tigress! She trusted you and that meant_ nothing_. You threw it all away. You owed her your life seven times over. _How dare you_."

"What going to do a little snakety snake action on me, Master Viper? Go on! I dare you," he snarked. His grin was enough to make her want to kill him. Sweat trickled down her forehead and her heart was pumping erratically.

Suddenly she was aware of all the people gathering and staring. All of a sudden, she was being pulled away by gentle hands. She hadn't expected that. "Vi, baby, you need to get out of here."

_Monkey. _

"Come on, we need to get you out of here, before Quang finds out. Come on…" She let herself be led away by Monkey's hands and she just really wasn't there anymore. They had almost reached her and Shifu's room before she managed to choke out any words.

"He killed her, Monkey. He's the reason she's dead."

"I know, baby, I know.


	4. Chapter 3: Love

**A/N: All characters and locations belong to Dreamworks and affiliates. I've recently had some very rude and negative comments, along the lines of "this is rubbish". I appreciate all the feedback, but if you do indeed dislike the story, then some CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is much more appropriate and much less rude. If these comment continue, then I will probably discontinue the story. I appreciate all the love for the story so far. Thank you and please review.**

_Chapter Three: I loved her. So did I. _

Shifu had always kept a few photographs in his robe when he travelled. Though most wouldn't think he was a sentimental man, he really was. And it was the only things that kept him going in the years after the war.

Sitting here, looking at photos of the Five, he felt strangely calm. They were all smiling, all happy, even Tigress who had a curve of a small smirk on her face. He preferred to remember them this way, happy, together.

"SHIFU!"

He pursed his lips and paused with his hand on the pictures. "Yes, your highness?" he answered carefully as tall and large Emperor Shao Quang came barging through the chambers.

His Emperor's hat was crooked on his head and only one side of his mustache was curly. "Is there something wrong?"

"YES! There is something very well something wrong, Shifu! Follow me." Bemused with himself slightly, Shifu rose from his desk and his pictures and promptly followed the man. They walked with a dozen or so soldiers behind them, as if Shifu was really going to attack the Emperor.

Once outside, Shifu noticed Viper and Monkey sitting together eating lunch under a tree. His heart ached. They were his last two living children. They were all he had left.

It was only a short walk to the balcony over to the lower town. The air was humid and thick as if often was in the morning. The clouds were low over sky and rain was expected in the forecast.

"And just how the hell would you explain the likes of that, Shifu."

Shifu over and saw what the Emperor was pointing to with his only good arm. He was looking at graffiti on the side of one of the building reading: THE PHANTOM WILL RISE. THE FALLEN WILL BE AVENGED.

The paint still seemed slightly wet and the red glossed in the morning dew. Shifu had the urge to smile, but quickly repressed it. It had been a week since their meeting with the mysterious woman and the soldier. He wondered if that note was for him.

Shifu turned to look at the Emperor and his eyes found his mutilated arm. Each and every time he looked at it, he was overwhelmed by a sense of pride. Sometimes, in the deep hours of night, he wondered if Tigress, his best student, his daughter, had known there was no chance for her or anyone else and he to leave her mark on the rest of the lost world in style. Or maybe she just wanted Quang to be filled with fury every time he needed to move his arms.

"I don't know, sir, maybe some of the locals thought about having a spot of fun," he said seriously and then bit his lip to keep from laughing a loud at the expression on the Emperor's face.

"Oh very funny. You're laughing while I have a full blown RIOT on my hand!"

"It's just some graffiti, your highness, hardly a riot. Probably just some kids trying to pull a joke."

"I don't care! Go down to the town and don't come back until you know who wrote the sign and have them executed immediately."

Shifu opened his mouth to object, but the Emperor simply stalked away and Shifu watched his misshapen form disappear into the fog of the rest of the towers. He sighed. This was simply ridiculous.

"Shalom, Talia."

The Jerusalem native tabard manager was at least his age with a big bust and a welcoming smile. She wiped her hands off on the rag on her apron and put her hands on her hips.

"Shifu," she greeted him with a heavy accent. "It's been such a long time. How have you been?"

"All right I suppose. And you?"

"Good if it wasn't for these goddam taxes. They seem to go up and up each week. But, what are you going to do. Business is going up so I think we'll make it. What can I do for you?"

He hopped up onto one of the leaned on the polished piece of stone. "I was wondering what you know about lovely piece of art on the building across from yours."

She smiled a tight lipped smile and glanced around at her customers. "I don't know much. It showed up last night before I got up at the crack of dawn, but I've been noticing a presence in the town…" she trailed off and nervously wiped her bar back and forth.

"What sort of presence?"

"There have been quite a few people, new, fluttering around town. You see them for a few seconds and then they disappear. Like a…" she became flustered and tried to explain it. "Like those shadow of dead people? No, no. Um … not ghosts, but flantons… lo."

"Phantoms?"

"KEN! Yes, yes. Those. They wear long cloaks, black and brown, and just disappear." She nodded over to the door which a opened a second before and a man in a charcoal cloak walked in.

He nodded once to the pair of them and took a seat in the corner of tabard. He leaned back in chair, propping his back up against the paint peeling wall.

"They come and simply sit there for hours. It's starting to scare me a little. Do you think they're responsible for the sign?"

"Perhaps. If you see anything else, please don't hesitate to tell me. I'll see you soon, Madame." Shifu slid down off the stool and adjusted his robes. Walking nonchalantly, he made his way to the back of the room. Some of the people greeted him as he passed, he politely nodded back.

"Is this seat taken?"

The stranger was about as tall as he was and with the shadow covering his face, Shifu couldn't see any distinguishing features. The man held out his hand and Shifu took it as an invitation to sit.

"Grandmaster Shifu, it's an honor to see you again."

The stranger's voice was low and deep and easily carried to him across the table. It was undetectable to the other drunken people over the loud laughter and the music. No one seemed to see Shifu and the man.

"May I ask what your business is in town?"

"I would prefer you did not. Curiously enough, I've actually been waiting for you, Grandmaster. After everyone saw _our_ sign, I knew it'd be a matter of time before you'd show up." His voice seemed lightly amused.

"Were you? Is there something I can do for you?" Shifu's voice was slightly strained and he felt a ball inside his stomach, like something was about to happen.

"It's time for the revival to begin. Meet us in the forbidden forest in three days at sunrise. Don't tell anyone and don't bring anyone along. Let's just say it's a chance for you to meet who's been doing _your_ job for the last two years."

The man rose from his chair and Shifu jerked to his feet. "How do I know I can trust you?"

The man paused and leaned in towards Shifu's ear. For a moment there was a brief and heavy silence and then the words "There are no accidents, old friend."

And then he was gone.

"Are you going to speak with Po?"

Viper glanced up from putting on her traveling cloak and nodded. "Yep, it's Thursday so he'll be expecting me." She clipped the silver button on the front and grabbed the basket. "Do you need anything while I'm out?"

Before war, Shifu and Viper's relationship had been a mentoring one. For the first few years, Viper had been afraid of the old master and almost always nervous around him, but when the Furious Five had become famous all over China, there had been a suitor that had interest in Viper. None of the attention was reciprocated and he began angry and violent.

She had originally kept it a secret from everyone but Tigress until he struck her once. Viper had been too stunned and frozen to even fight back. Tigress had warned him many times before that and after the black eye, she made Viper tell their Master. Shifu was appalled that someone hadn't told him sooner and immediately had sought him out.

Viper was touched when she watched Shifu beat the man to a pulp and then threaten to gut him if he ever looked at either of "his girls" again. Since then, in times of stress and need, Shifu had been her confident.

"No, no, thank you. Do you think I could take this stuff to Po? I haven't seen him in ever so long."

The two made eyes contact and Viper nodded without hesitation. "Oh course, tell him hello for me."

She handed her master the basket and moved out of the doorway. "Master?"

"Hm?"

"Don't be surprised, but he hasn't spoken since she…"

Shifu nodded once and headed through the door, but not before he heard a faint "good luck."

They didn't even have a need to keep him chained anymore. The large man with now unruly black hair sat perfectly still in a meditation position. His head didn't even more when the iron door clanked open and his own master walked in.

Shifu nodded to the jailor as he was locked inside with his student. Sitting down in front of him, Shifu found he didn't have the words he had practiced on the way over.

"Hello Po."

No reaction.

"I'm sorry I hadn't come to see you … you're looking … well better than I expect anyway. Viper sends a hello. I told I would bring your weekly delivery. "

Silence.

'This would be so frustrating to have to do this every week,' he thought bitterly.

In the space of silence, Shifu observed his student. Po had slimmed down in the two years Shifu had seen him and he looked older than his 20 years. His face was grimy and gritty and his clothes were ragged. He had scars around his wrists from the shackles from the first 6 months he was held down here.

The cell was dirty, but not as dirty as he expected. There was a half slept in cot in the corner and a mothy blanket blocking out the sun from the small barred window. Po didn't look alive.

"Po?"

Nothing.

"Ping! Listen up and listen up good. I know you're mad at me and I would have come down ages ago, but I've been mourning myself. I know everything is dark and empty, but if she saw you now, she'd kick your ass for sitting on it for so long.

"I know I've not been the master I'm supposed to be, but quite frankly I'm as lost as the rest of us! I don't know how this story is going to end, but I know it can't be good to live in silence for the rest of your life. I just don't have to words to help you … just like I didn't have the words to tell her how proud I was. I've never had the right words."

Shifu took a ragged breath and suddenly the shell of the man moved. He moved his head up and his green eyes, lifeless and heavy, made eye contact with Shifu's azure one.

He said a single sentence. "I. Loved. Her."

And then Shifu felt his heart break again.

"So did I!" he whispered fiercely back. "So did I."


	5. Chapter 4: GeGe

**/N: All characters and locations belong to Dreamworks and affiliates. I really enjoy reading all the reviews. A special thank you to LuxMentis for their chivalry. I appreciate all the love for the story so far. A short chapter and then some action next scene. Thank you and please review.**

_Chapter Four: GeGe_

"Did you find him?" Tai Lung's greeting was followed by slap on the back and Kali grinned a crooked smile. They were both dressed in similar dark cloaks and the shadows of the forest seemed to move with them as they crossed a single small stream.

"Finally. I've been waiting all week for him to show up, but I gave him the message and I think he's going to come. You should have seen the shock on the old man's face when I told him Oogway's message."

Tai Lung smiled and felt a flutter of nervousness at the thought of seeing his father after all the years. He doubted Shifu even knew he survived the turmoil of his time in prison. He hoped his reaction wouldn't be too ugly.

"You nervous about seeing him again?" Kali asked, reading his mind. He chuckled and jumped over a few rocks and made a left in the road, taking the less noticed, man-made path.

"I hurt them both, Kali, I don't expect him to forgive me so easily," Tai rumbled. Kali moved a spiky tree branch out of their path. He reached for his sword and patted in soothingly.

"Yes, but _she_ forgave you. I mean you were the first person she ran to when she was alone. Besides you're his son. His only son. Shifu's almost lost all of his children. I think he'll be happy to see you. Maybe you two just need some time to work things out. Speaking of our fearless leader, how is she today?"

"Ren? Today's been better than yesterday. When I finally got her to sit down for a moment, I managed to slip some of the sleeping draught into her tea. I think I may have overdosed her, because when the dreams returned I couldn't wake her up. Djaq said not to worry, but after the horror she's been through I feel bad leaving in her in a state she can't escape from you know…"

Kali smiled slightly. "You're a good brother, Tai. Don't let anyone tell you differently, okay."

Tai stopped and pivoted in the soil back and forth, almost like he was nervous. "She deserves it. That kid's been through hell."

Kali inclined his tanned face and smiled. "She does. You haven't told her Shifu's coming have you? I can't wait to see the look on her face. They all think she's dead…"

"Mei Ren's probably going to cry. It's time for master and student to be reunited."


	6. Chapter 5: Courage

**A/N: All characters and locations belong to Dreamworks and affiliates. I really enjoy reading all the reviews. I'm blown away with the response not only to the last chapter but the entire story. I appreciate all the love for the story so far. A nice long chapter with some action and my favorite—a cliffhanger. Remember to review!**

_Chapter Five_: _Forgiveness_

Shifu was getting impatient. He had done his part of the agreement and he had been waiting in this ridiculous forest for over an hour! He had had to ditch over two dozen guards, lied to Viper, and sneak all the way out of the village using technique that would have him beheaded if anyone saw.

And this mysterious person was late!

"Patience, Grandmaster. I've been watching you for an hour to make sure you haven't brought any surprises along the way."

Shifu flipped around in his maroon traveling cloak to find the stranger from the restaurant standing at the tree line. He motioned for Shifu to follow him and the Grandmaster had to quickly rush to catch up to him.

"I would appreciate it if you would tell me where we're going," Shifu called up, trying to maneuver his aging body through thick brush and vegetation.

"HQ, sir, we need to brief you into the master plan. Come along now, everyone's expecting us," the man called over his shoulder. Shifu pushed forward and caught up right behind him as they reached a small stream. The water was stained a tea color and the rocks were jagged and mossy.

Before they could cross, Shifu grabbed the stranger's shoulder and spun him around. The man stood only a few inches shorter than him. He grabbed the back of his hood and pulled it down. "I want some answers before we go back any farther. What's your name?"

Once the hood fell away, Shifu was surprised to see the face of a boy no older than 23 or 24. His tan and olive skin was thick well-toned and he had a head full of dark hair. His chin was hard and the lines on his face were very defined. He was from a Mongolian city, surely, but had a thick and muscular build that was clearly visible under his loose summer clothing.

"My name is Kali, sir. I'm sorry for the secrecy. It's just we've taken great care to remain a secret from Quang and we'd like to keep it before we set the ball in motion. We still have the advantage of surprise on our side. We'd like to keep it that way…"

"We?"

"You'll see soon enough. Let's keep going, we've almost there. We're sort of like a rebellion group, but not exactly. We're working on a plan to set things right, avenge the fallen…"

"I know. I read the sign," Shifu said dryly. "Are you their leader?"

Kali laughed, but it sounded forced. "Yeah right, that's a good one, sir. Nah, I'm higher up in the order, but I really just run errands and train soldiers and organize stuff. You'll meet our leader. You two haven't met, but I'm sure they two of you will get along great."

Shifu was careful as he stepped around the prickles in the leaves and stones in his way. The directions seemed random as they seemed to twist and turn around trees and strange landmarks.

"How many are there of you?"

"We've been training soldiers for the last year and a half as soon as the big war ended, but the security in the villages are getting tighter and tighter. There are twenty or so that live together in HQ, but we've trained a couple hundred. They're no Imperial Army, but they've got spirit. They're stationed all over the villages, waiting for the signal, when we're going to make our move on the city. They're headed by leaders of course, but our close group working on the plan has been about a twenty from the start," he said casually and then held up a hand.

Shifu froze and took in his surroundings. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. "Just a moment," he said. Kali turned to his left and ruffled in the dark green bushes and brought out the remnants of a broken mirror.

Puzzled, Shifu watched as he caught the light in the piece of glass and flicked it straight forward two times quickly and then a third after a short paused. This seemed vaguely familiar to him, but he couldn't put his finger on where he had heard of the technique.

After a few seconds, there was a single flash of light coming from the direction that Kali had just signal to. Then the entire forest floor lifted up exposing a tunnel light by a series of torches.

"Come along, Grandmaster, and welcome to the Lair of the Phantom."

Stunned, Shifu followed him down the earthy tunnel and stopped at the end. There was nothing to suggest this was even here. It took a lot to impress Shifu, but this was truly clever. There was a dull thud as the hatch closed behind them, cutting off almost all the sunlight.

It took ten paces to reach the end of the tunnel and find a large, thick door. "This is Smooth Dog and I have the flying Eagle here for landing preparation. The Sparrow has sent us."

Then there was a clicking of a lock and the door swung open, filling the tunnel with a sweeping sunshine. The sun was now just rising and sky was turning orange and pink like the peach blossoms he so missed from the Jade Palace.

He was surprised to see how much the camp resembled an army base. Large and individual tents, around nine or so, sat a few paces away from each other built out of wood and tarps in a beautiful display of craftsmanship and skill. The almost complete circle was cleared of all trees and vegetation and sat on a clear piece of land. There was a fire pit in the middle of the circular camp as well as a larger tent, closed off at the top of the circle. People were moving around, carrying wood and sharpening weapons around, talking merrily between them. A handful of young men were demonstrating swordsmanship to some younger boys who were struggling to mimic their movements.

To the left was a large structure with several adjourning rooms that led into what looked like a kitchen and an infirmary. Pots and pans glinted in the sun light and seemed to melt in the rising sun light. There was a heavy wind that blew around the raining warding tarps. Trees and other shrubs had been cleared from the area and the backdrop of trees seemed to transform into a slow running, cold stream.

He was clearly impressed.

"Wow," he said and Kali chuckled, amused.

"Like it do you? I'm glad, it was a pain to create, but it definitely has some style. So before we show you the plan, there's someone who's been dying to speak to you."

Curious, Shifu let Kali lead him to a tent towards the fire pit in the center and sitting on one of the wooden benches was a tall, lean man with salt and pepper hair and when he turned around, all Shifu's breath left.

"Tai Lung."

The man's eyes grew large and he quickly bowed to the man. "Grandmaster—I … " Shifu's mouth hung open and he had no words. For a moment, all was an everlasting silence and then Tai Lung was pulled up from his bow in a flash of movement and he was suddenly being embraced by the older master.

"My son," Shifu's voice was laced with tears. "My _son_. You're here." Shifu's body shook and Kali smiled behind them with a beaming grin. "You're here!" It was a while before the two broke apart. Shifu whipped away the tears in his eyes, unashamed. Tai Lung still looked bewildered by the act.

"You're … you're not angry at me?"

Shifu reached out and took his wrist, giving him a gentle squeeze, there was a clear joy and agony in his blue eyes, making them stretch on and on. "Tai Lung, I've lost everything I love in the last two years, everything, my students, kung fu, freedom, everything. But you're here. Alive. How could I ever be angry?"

Tai Lung, now 30 years old, looked nothing like the 18 year old boy who had been locked away. His voice had deepened into a gruff of sorts, but he still had that smirky grin and the salt and pepper haircut. He wore his classic purple pants, which made Shifu smile, a little piece of normal for his soul. A white linen shirt moved in the now apparent wind. He had changed, grown, and now fighting for good once again.

Tai gave his father a watery smile and embraced him once more. "I've missed you, Baba."

"As have I, my son, as have I."

"So how did you get here?" Shifu asked, catching up with his long lost son as they moved into one of the tents. Tai and Shifu sat down on some of the pillows on the floors as Kali went to grab a few people to introduce to Shifu.

"I was recruited … sort of …" He gave Shifu a half grin. "We've been cooking up a plan ever since. We were waiting for the right time to make our presence known. We plan on taking the Palace and attempting to restore order."

Shifu nodded. "Kali said that you were training soldiers. I'm not sure civilians can hold their own against what's left of the Imperial Army."

"We know. We have a twofold plan. The civilians won't be exactly, uh, fighting, per say. We've come up with a sort of failsafe incase Plan A doesn't succeed. It's complicated, I guess, but basically, we're going to infiltrate the Palace and either take down Quang or establish control. We're still working on how to get into the Palace undetected. We're going to need a lot of men in there to take down all the guards before the main team can get to the Emperor."

Shifu nodded, following him carefully. "The trick is to get twenty or so people in without being spotted. We're still waiting to find an excuse. All the plans we've come up with so far have major holes in them, but—"

"We're working on it."

Both Tai Lung and Shifu turned to find Kali returning with three men by his side. "Fu! It's been a long time, brotha!"

"Orchir!"

The Master Flying Rhino grinned a toothy grin and embraced the old master, slapping him on the back, none too gently. "How did you get here? I thought you were busy playing the Emperor's trophy."

"Ouch. Thanks for the warm welcome, man." Shifu's heart swelled with joy. "How did you survive the arrow to the back? Last time I saw you, you were unconscious in the medical wing."

"Pure dumb luck, I tell ya. I thought I was a goner for a while there, but something woke me up. I felt this strange clingy feel and all of a sudden I woke up and it had been four weeks and the war was over and everyone was gone."

Shifu blinked and his mind racked for explanations. "That's miraculous, old friend." He shook his head in wonder.

Orchir was about over 6'5. With thick muscles and a bald head, it wasn't hard to step out his way upon sight. He wore his armor with its cracks and all despite the heat. His bright green eyes reminded Shifu of Po's.

"Then I had this dream saying I needed to get up and go north to find—"

"Hello Grandmaster, I'm Bai and this is my twin Dai. We both trained with Master Zhao from Mongolia. He spoke highly of you and your students." A short, stout man cut off Orchir. Shifu shook hands with both men. Both were identical, with a bowl cut of black hair. They were both freckled and dressed in similar shades of forest green. Each had a dagger attached to their leather belts.

"Nice too meet you. Man, that has to be confusing."

Everyone laughed and any tension was broken. "Come, old friend, we have much to tell you." Orchir gestured to the seat and everyone sat around in a circle. "The time is almost upon us to end this tirade once and for all."

It was late into the evening before everything was explained and the plan was told. Shifu listened attentively the entire time, taking notes in his head for later reference. "Any questions?"

"How can I help?"

Everyone chuckled knowingly and smiled. "Well, you're presence is obviously going to be missed so you can't stay here, sadly. Keep looking for chances for our people to get into the palace. We still are going to need a point of entry for the revival to begin. When we have news we'll send for you. Look for anything. Notes, signs, whispers, anything that may be from us. We'll find you."

Shifu nodded and adjusted his robes. The tarps did an excellent job of blocking out the summery heat. "I just want to say thank you. Until you stopped our carriage last week, I had all but given up hope. But now … it's invigorating. It's a sense of…" he paused hunting for the right word.

"Hope?"

Shifu nodded his thanks to his son. "Yes, hope. I thought I'd die in that Palace, but there's a sense of something coming now. Thank you for that."

"Now, you know you have to go back and pretend none of this has happened right?"

Shifu nodded. "When will I be able to tell Monkey and Viper? I know they'll want to help…"

"Soon. We'll send for them too. All in good time, my friend," Orchir said, patting his arm. "Now, you'd better get back before you're missed at the Palace and everything looks suspicious."

Shifu nodded and rose with the rest of them. Looking up at the sky as they exited the tent, he judged it was a few hours before nightfall. The sunset was just in its beginning stages and the sky was making a dramatic transformation from light to dark.

Shifu gave his son one last hug and was about to set on his way when Kali called him back. "Grandmaster, we have one more things to share with you. It's about time you met our fearless leader."

Shifu walked briefly back to where the group stood. "Red, come out here for a second, would you?"

Nothing could have prepared him for who walked out of that tent.


	7. Chapter 6: Braveheart

**A/N: All characters and locations belong to Dreamworks and affiliates. I really enjoy reading all the reviews. I'm blown away with the response not only to the last chapter but the entire story. I appreciate all the excitement for the story so far. This is the last chapter I have prewritten. I may take me a little while to have another chapter ready. Remember to review and let me know your thoughts!**

_Chapter Six: Yonggan de Xin_

"Kali? I thought I told you _not_ to call me that."

The red curtains of the tents separated to reveal a small, slender figure and when they walked out into the setting sun, they were set alight like a spark. Shifu's stomach dropped to his knees and he felt lightheaded and nauseous all at the same time.

When the sparks in his eyes stopped tears ran freely down his face before his brain could react to what he was seeing. Ten paces away was _Tigress_.

His soul died.

Before he understood what his body was doing he had sprinted the ten paces to his daughter, his living, breathing, daughter and his body crashed into hers. He lifted her into the air and wrapped his arms around. This was impossible.

"Shifu?" Her voice was breathy and coated in disbelief and he barely heard her words. He was in such ecstasy of joy, he could barely breath. "Tigress," he kept repeated, unable to believe that this was real. This was a joke. A prank. A dream. There was no chance she was alive.

But then this was her body and he could fell her chest moving up and down, pumping oxygen to her heart. It seemed like hours, days, weeks that he held her there and when he finally set her back on her feet, the red headed warrior seemed stunned, speechless. Her beautiful ember eyes blinked rapidly like she was in a dream.

And then in the space of a heartbeat, she collapsed.

Shifu's reflexes caught her before she fell. And his joy turned to terror.

"DJAQ! Djaq, get your ass over here!" Tai Lung and Kali ran over to them and ushered Shifu, carrying Tigress, into the tent she had just emerged from. Shifu's mind didn't even register to the maps and papers hung up all over the tent. Setting his precious daughter's body on the bed roll in the corner of the room, he took her hand and was almost pushed out of the way by a young Arabic boy, presumably Djaq.

The boy was small, maybe 15 or 16 with a head of dark hair that stood up every which way. He wore a healing uniform. "What happened?" he snapped assertively, taking her pulse quickly.

Shifu was more focused on watching her chest rise and fall to make sure she was still breathing. "She collapsed. Do you think it has something to do with the lightning?"

"Lightning?" Shifu asked, looking around at the others in the tent.

Orchir nodded from the tent's opening where he stood like an attentive guard. "It stuck her last week during the storm. I swear—this kid can't catch a break."

"I don't think so, looks like shock to me. Did you give her anymore of that sleeping draught, Tai Lung?"

"Yeah, just a drop this morning in her tea, why?" Tai Lung had come and kneeled on the other side of Tigress, watching Djaq carefully.

The boy shook his head and rummaged through his bag, the sound of clanking glass was ugly. "It had a reaction enzyme in it that slowed down her heart. We need to shock it awake. You," he addressed Kali, "get a needle and out of the bag and hand it to me. I need to count her pulse. Quickly."

Kali quickly searched the bag and grabbed a syringe and a lighter. He burned the tip, effectively killing the germs, and took the bottle from the healer. "What is that?" Shifu directed the question to Kali, but it was Djaq who answered.

"Siberian ginseng. It should start her awake."

"NO!"

Everyone jumped. "You can't give her that. Tigress is allergic to the herb family related to the anesthesia drugs. If anything you'll just put her into a coma. You need Indian Thistle, to restart her adrenaline. It only takes about half the dose, say 20 mg. Tigress' heart is larger than the normal person's, as is most kung fu masters. If you give her too much you put her into cardiac arrest," he rattled off like a flying cannon.

"About time someone knew how to treat this kid," Djaq grumbled lowly. "Allah knows I've had one hell of a time. Hurry up, Kali, you heard the man—20 milligrams."

Tai Lung got up and moved closer to Shifu as Orchir and the twins ushered everyone else back to their previous activities and leaving the three alone to tend to Tigress.

"I should know," Shifu said, "considering I've raised her since she was five."

Djaq's eyes flicked up from his syringe in surprise and moved towards his face. "You're Grandmaster Shifu," he said, softly, eyes moving back. Shifu nodded once. "It's an honor to meet you. You're very precious to her."

Shifu's throat closed up with emotion and he squeezed her hand. "Got it," Djaq said, moving to his knee beside the bed and pulling up the bottom of her shirt and position the syringe in her side.

What Shifu saw shocked him to the core. Though the healer had only pulled up her shirt up two inches or so, Shifu saw the crisscross patterns of scars and burn marks marring her pale skin and his mind immediately understood what had happened. His eyes widen and he felt the nausea return and he felt the urge to vomit.

He felt a pressure on his wrist and looked up to find Tai Lung's eyes staring at him intensely. '_Later_,' he mouthed and Shifu slowly nodded. He turned back to Tigress and watched Djaq retract the needle and stand up.

"She should awaken within a few moments."

"Thank you," all three men—Shifu, Tai Lung, and Kali—said simultaneously. Djaq nodded once and then swept from the room.

"What the hell happened?" Shifu hissed under his breath to Tai Lung. He pressed Tigress' cold hand to his cheek and observed his daughter. In the two years he had seen her, she had changed. She was still that small, skinny red headed girl he had left, but something seemed different.

She had aged. She had always had old soul eyes, but she even seemed older which was scary for a child that acted like a mature adult at age nine. She had a pair of tan crinkled shorts on with cargo pockets on the side and a button up plaid shirt on over a black tank top. Her hair was down, falling dramatically around her face and still flawless face.

His heart hurt and was so overwhelmed he wasn't sure just what to feel.

"She claimed she didn't remember in the beginning but we all knew she was lying ... though when she found me in the Jade Palace, she was pretty heavy set with sedatives, I wouldn't be surprised if she was confused. The damage was … pretty extensive. We camped out in the Hall of Warriors for weeks before she finally woke back up. Then, she wanted to come back for all of you … you know how she is, but … I knew we couldn't come back. Not for a while. I mean I didn't even know if the rest of you were alive and she was in no condition to be fighting.

"We eventually made our way back south after Quang's men burned down the Palace. We travelled for a few weeks before we hit a bump … uh … literally." Shifu shut his eyes in agony. Dear god above, please no. "It took a while to get going, but we came back here after that so she was close to the rest of you, but still far enough away to make sure we stayed hidden.

"We started planning after that. She's been well, Tigress, since then. She doesn't want to admit any of it ever happened, naturally, so it's hard to really get anything at all out of her. We still don't exactly have a clear picture of what happened."

"The dreams are rather enlightening though," Kali said darkly from his corner of the room. "The nightmares rather."

"Has she said how she escaped?"

"Nope. Says she doesn't remember that either, but she must have done a good damn job of it because everyone and I mean everyone thinks she's good and dead."

Tigress stirred and everyone shifted their attention to her immediately. "Tigress?" Shifu made his voice calm and soothingly. Her eyes flickered open and focused on his face.

"Shifu?" She sounded slightly confused. "How … how did you get here?"

"Surprise," he said softly.

Her eyes fluttered again and she smiled slightly. "How did you find me?"

He ran a hand through her curly red hair and watched her for a moment. "Magic, Ren. Didn't you see the sparkles?" Tai Lung said sarcastically with a smirk. She watched him for a moment and her eyebrows crinkled together.

"No."

Tai Lung chuckled. "We got to cut down on these meds, Mei Ren, they make you seriously loopy, kiddo."

"They _do not_!"

Shifu smiled at the banter and Tigress turned her attention back to her master. Her eyes seemed to clearer and the foggy-ness had begun to fade. "Shifu!" She shot into a sitting position both Shifu and Tai Lung eased her into a sitting position. She seemed to be much more awake. "You're here!"

There was a joy in her voice he hadn't heard in since she was a little girl. "I know. Fate sent me. We … all thought you were … dead." She turned her face away from him slightly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, eyes down casted. But Shifu wasn't going to have any of that. He turned her face back to face him with the tips of his fingers.

"But here you are," he whispered softly. "Tigress—I'm—"

"FU! You have to go now! Imperial scouts are coming this way looking for you. Now. Let's go!" Orchir burst through the curtains and Shifu jumped to his feet. He opened his mouth, but not before Tigress grabbed his wrist.

"You're leaving?" There was a thread of panic and fear in her voice that only Shifu took notice of.

"I can't stay, but I'll be back. I promise." She watched him for a moment, her eyes marking his face and then her hand slipped off his.

"NOW, FU!"

He turned back and forth between danger and his daughter and eventually Orchir grabbed his arm. "She'll still be here when you come back, now get your ass in gear and let's go."

"Tigress—the darkness time of life if right before…"

"The sunrise breaches the sky," she finished for him. Halfway out the door, he nodded and called out, "Until the next sunrise, Yonggan de Xin."

END OF PART ONE.


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